This application is based on and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-277637, filed on Sep. 13, 2001, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-330564, filed on Oct. 29, 2001, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to light alloy wheels and more particularly, relates to a design surface of the wheels.
2. Description of Related Art
FIGS. 10 and 11 show an aluminum wheel, more particularly, a one piece cast aluminum wheel, that includes a rim portion 1 and a disk portion 2. The disk portion 2 includes a plurality of spoke portions 3 and a central hub portion 4. A decoration hole 5 is formed between adjacent spoke portions 3. In the hub portion 4, a hub hole 6 is formed and a plurality of bolt holes 7 are circumferentially formed surrounding the hub hole 6. An outboard surface of the wheel, which is visible from the outside of a vehicle when the aluminum wheel is mounted to the vehicle, is called as a design surface.
The design surface is machined after casting. However, a design surface having a greater aesthetic appeal than the machined surface is desired.
Conventional methods to improve the design surface exist and such methods include surface treatments, such as color coating, printing, buffing the machined design surface to a brilliant surface, plating via dipping or vacuum deposition, and molding a resin to a groove formed in a wheel. Among these treatments, plating is generally the most effective method.
However, various problems exist in the conventional plating. For example, because the entire design surface is plated, the treated surface becomes a monotonic brilliant surface having a poor uniqueness. Also, the wheel has a considerably large weight, which makes surface treatment difficult. Further, since the wheel has an outer surface including convex positions and concave portions, the surface treatment is generally more difficult and expensive than a surface treatment of a flat surface.
Once a plated design surface is damaged, it is necessary to replace the entire body of the wheel, which can lead to expensive replacement cost.
Generally, recesses can be formed in the wheel to lighten the wheel, but the recesses can degrade the design surface and can make surface treatment of the wheel difficult. Therefore, it can be difficult to lighten a wheel by providing recesses therein.
An aspect of the present invention is to provide a garnish wheel which can improve the design of the wheel, can decrease the manufacturing cost and can lighten the wheel.
The above aspects can be obtained by providing a garnish light alloy wheel which includes a light alloy wheel and a garnish. The light alloy wheel includes a spoke portion, an outboard surface and a recess located at a portion of the light alloy wheel including the spoke portion. The recess is formed in the outboard surface of the light alloy wheel. The garnish is manufactured separately from the light alloy wheel and is exchangeably mounted in the recess formed in the light alloy wheel. The light alloy wheel and the garnish construct a design surface of the garnish light alloy wheel. The garnish has an outboard surface that constructs a portion of the design surface of the garnish light alloy wheel. In a preferred embodiment, the outboard surface of the garnish can be surface-treated, for example, by one of plating, color-coating and chemical polishing.